The Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) due to what it describes as incompetence.
The upper house said the suspension of Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), is a clear indication that the committee, which once defended the embattled SGF, is not reliable.
Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, Shehu Sani, stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
The ad-hoc committee had in its interim report in December 2016 indicted the SGF in a grass cutting scandal of over N200million.
The panel called for his removal and prosecution over alleged breach of Nigeria’s law in handling contracts.
However, the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) chaired by renowned Professor of Law, Itse Sagay (SAN) criticised the Sani-led committee for not giving Babachir fair hearing.
But speaking on Buhari’s latest action, the lawmaker said the President did not need a forum of advisers on corruption to effectively fight corruption.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari should as a matter of urgency dissolve his Presidential Advisory Council on Corruption. It is a moribund and irrelevant assemblage.
“A Presidential Advisory Committee headed by a man who defended the SGF is without honour. Professor Sagay attacked me for my report on PINE (Presidential Initiative in the North East) now that the President has taken steps in the direction of the committee report; I hope the Professor will muster the courage to also attack the President.
“The advisory committee was looking for corruption in Sokoto while it’s there in shokoto.
“It is sad that most of the mercenary forces hired to rubbish the integrity of the Senate committee and defend those indicted have suddenly lost their voice”.
In late March, the Senate summoned Sagay for describing the apex legislative body’s suspension of the screening of 27 persons the President nominated as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) as ‘childish and irresponsible’.
But the Law Professor fired back, insisting that the institution lacked the powers to summon him
